1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus which prints and reads an image on a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
In order to make a copy of a document, processes of reading the document with a scanner and printing it with a printer are necessary, and a copy which is exactly the same as the document can thus be obtained. However, a large amount of paper media is necessary to convey a large amount of information. Therefore, when a large amount of information is to be carried in the form of paper documents, a large number of paper documents are necessary.
More specifically, according to known techniques, a large number of paper documents are necessary to carry all of the information, and it is cumbersome to handle them. In addition, since all of the information output on the paper documents and their copies are viewable, anyone can view the information even if it is intended to be read only by specific users.